2005 Oakland A's

The Baseball Crank takes a look at Oakland's off season moves and he concludes that they took a significant step backward this offseason.

I disagree. I think the A's could be a real sleeper this season. Here are my thoughts:

- Kendall is a significant offensive upgrade at catcher
- Hopefully the A's will have a full season of Eric Chavez who missed significant time last year and who should be an MVP candidate year-in and year-out
- Bobby Crosby offensively had a great deal of drop off after the All-Star break. Hopefully he'll make the adjustments and add even more to the offense
- The AL West isn't exactly a pitcher's division. Even with the revamped rotation - it is possible that the A's still have the best starting pitching in the division
- The A's have a stocked farm system and have the prospects necessary to make a big splash at trade-deadline time.

I think the Oakland A's win the AL West next year.